Coffee
by I'll Break Your Heart
Summary: (AU)- "Even after three years, Shibuya hadn't changed at all..." The barista may have looked annoyed at first, but the more Shiki saw him, the more expressions he seemed to have. "I think I love you..." A romance that goes beyond what she expected. Happy (super) late birthday Amulet Misty!


**Happy birthday Amulet Misty!**

**What? Her birthday was in January?!**

**…. Well…this is awkward**

**(Cue the fic!)**

**XXX**

Even after three years, Shibuya hadn't changed at all.

The same streets, the same shops, even the same types of people. The only noticeable difference that any change had taken place was the trends, and even that change had gone unchanged.

Shiki sighed.

It was good to be back.

XXX

"What do you want?"

The question caught her by surprise. The way the orange haired barista was talking almost sounded like she was…. bothering him. She felt half tempted to say, "A coffee you idiot why else would I be in a _coffee _shop?" However, remembering her manners, she instead opted for a more polite tone of voice and a smile.

The smile went unreturned and the (rude) barista simply turned around and began working on her order.

"Hey if it isn't Shiki!"

Said girl turned around, her previous hurt fading as she saw who it was.

"Mr. H!" She cried, rushing over to the older man. She looked up at him and grinned. "I'm back~!" she practically sang. Mr. H laughed.

"Good to have you in Japan again!" he said, ruffling her hair. "How's things going state side?"

"Oh good." Shiki said, brushing the man's hand off. "I'm just glad it's summer break! I need a rest after what my mind's been through." She let out a sigh of content. "I can't wait to refresh my mind, get some new ideas and-"

She was cut off by a loud _thunk_. The barista looked at her, then at the cup he had slammed into the counter, before turning around and heading into the back of the shop.

"Don't mind him." Mr. H said, scanning Shiki's somewhat bewildered face. "That nephew of mine may not seem like the nicest guy, but he's got a heart of gold somewhere deep, deep, _deep _inside of him."

"Nephew?" Shiki asked, hesitantly walking back to the counter. Mr. H nodded.

"He's on summer break just like you. Really, try not to mind the attitude. He's probably just mad at being cooped up in here rather than being out there."

"Out there?" Shiki asked confused, her hand resting on the handle of the coffee cup.

"Yeah. The kid's got a knack for sports believe it or not. Knowing him, he'd rather be kicking a ball on the field rather than brewing coffee. Gotta say though," Mr. H said, peering into Shiki's cup. "He's got the hands of a magician."

Shiki blinked. Slowly she looked down at the cup. A smile appeared on her lips as she saw the foam art-

It was of a cat with a fish in its mouth.

XXX

She was met with the same grumpy face of the orange haired barista each time she went to WildKat. Every time she entered, he would merely glance at her before giving a soft sigh and walking to the register to ring up her order. And every time he'd ask the same question in the same bored voice,

"What do you want?"

Shiki wasn't usually one to complain about the behavior of workers, but after a week of having to deal with same four drawling words, she had finally had enough.

"You know you're going to drive off customers with that attitude of yours."

Well…even though she had _had _enough, she wasn't expecting those words to slip from her mouth. The barista seemed surprise as well, his look of annoyed boredom being replaced by one of shock. The look only remained for a moment though.

"Hasn't stopped you." He muttered, handing back her change. "And its not like anyone besides you actually notices this place."

This was the most that Shiki had ever heard him say. She could feel her previous frustration beginning to melt as she realized, happily, that he was actually having a conversation with her.

"I like this place." She said, smiling. "It's quiet, the coffee's good, and I can spend as long as I like in here working on designs."

"You sure do it often too." The barista said, the bored expression already back on his face. "You've been here this entire week."

"Ah, so you noticed!" Shiki said. The barista just rolled his eyes.

"You're the only one who comes in here." Was all he said before turning around to make her cappuccino, effectively cutting off their conversation.

XXX

It had been three days after their first conversation that Shiki learned his name.

And he wasn't even the one to tell her it.

She had walked in, a sketch book in her arms and bag at her side, when she saw the barista arguing with a blonde haired guy. Well…not really "arguing" per se, but just having a _really loud _conversation (in which the blonde was doing most of the _"really loud"_ part.)

"I wasn't hiding Beat." The barista was saying. "I just needed to help my uncle with the shop."

"Man can't your Uncle H get a different worker!?" The blonde shouted. "Rhyme an' I just got back from Hokkaido and were looking forward to hangin' out with you!" The blonde let out a sigh and adjusted his beanie.

Shiki watched, somewhat confused, at the interaction between the two. It looked like they were…. friends but somehow, she found that hard to believe. Mr. Barista could be so…rude that it was hard to imagine him being nice to anybody.

But there he was, chatting with a guy twice his size, about the annoyances of having to work than getting to "hang out."

The barista shook his head, clearly annoyed, before looking up and realizing Shiki was there.

"H-hi." Shiki said nervously. He nodded at her slowly while the other boy turned around.

"Bwaah!" he said, jumping back and almost knocking down a bookshelf. "When'd you get here?!"

"J-just now." Shiki said, surprised at his surprise. For someone who looked as…tough as him, he sure did have a delayed reaction.

The blonde looked at her, then at the barista. "Is this that girl you was talkin' about?" he asked. The barista nodded.

"She's here all the time like some kind of stalker." He muttered. Shiki glared at him.

"I can hear you." She said. "And the name's not stalker, it's Shiki."

The barista looked surprised, as if not expecting her to tell him her name, before going back to his original bored expression.

"Whatever." He muttered.

"Hey hey Neku! That's not nice!" The blonde suddenly yelled. He gave Shiki a smile.

"The name's Beat! And this guy over here," he said, suddenly pulling the barista into a headlock,

"Is Neku."

XXX

The weeks following their "name exchange" surprised Shiki. For one, Neku had actually begun talking to her. In fact, every time she entered the café she and Neku would just…. talk.

At first she had been worried about distracting him, but he had waved it off.

"Not like this place gets any customers anyway." He said. "Besides," he added, pulling on one of his spikes,

"I…. like talking to you."

XXX

His friends would sometimes visit him while he worked.

Shiki would watch as he "entertained" them. At first, she thought he was bored at whatever Beat and his sister, Rhyme, were saying. His ever-present neutral expression gave no sense of caring in it. But soon, she began picking up slight hints of emotion. A twinkle in his eye, a small smirk on his lip, a shy blush on his cheeks,

The more she looked at him, the more expressions he seemed to carry.

XXX

A bigger surprise was that Joshua knew Neku.

That she had definitely not seen coming. Nor did she expect the response Neku gave the moment he entered the café.

"Get out."

Joshua had merely laughed. "I don't think Mr. H is going to be happy seeing you driving customers away Neku dear."

"Don't care. Get out."

"Why Neku, I just came in to say hello to a dear friend." His eyes scanned the café and then dramatically turned towards Shiki. "And here she is." He said.

Shiki waved.

"Hey Josh." She said. "Mr. H tell you I was back?"

"He may have had something to do with it." Joshua said, smirking. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise."

"If that's all you came here for." Neku suddenly said, giving Joshua an annoyed look. "You can get out."

"Why Neku, you wound me with your words."

"I'll wound you with something else if you don't leave."

Joshua sighed. "I don't know how any one can put up with you Neku." He said, ignoring the daggers shooting from the barista's eyes. "You can be so…so…."

"Emo?" Shiki finished, stifling a laugh. The dagger-like eyes pointed at her.

"I can hear you." Neku said.

This time Shiki really did laugh.

XXX

"How'd you do that anyway?" Shiki said one day. Neku looked up from the counter.

"What?" he asked. Shiki pointed to her cup.

"The foam art of a cat." She said. "No offense but you don't look like the type who likes this kind of stuff."

"I don't?"

Shiki nodded. "You look more like the type who'd do graffiti or something."

She was answered by a low grunt. She smiled.

"Can you teach me?"

"What?"

"Can you teach me?" Shiki repeated. "I want to know how to make a cat like this."

A silence filled the café. Shiki looked earnestly at Neku and Neku stared back at her, his expression now readable to Shiki. Finally he shrugged.

"Come around the counter." Was all he said.

Shiki couldn't help but grin.

XXX

It was on a sunny day that Shiki walked into the café only to find Mr. H behind the counter.

"Hey there Shiki." He said, shooting her a grin. Shiki answered back, albeit a bit disappointed.

"Don't look so glum chum." Mr. H said. "I just sent that nephew of mine to pick up a shipment of beans. He'll be back soon."

Shiki's face visibly brightened when he said this. Mr. H chuckled.

"He's an amazing kid eh?"

She nodded, unaware that her cheeks had turned a bit pink. Mr. H continued.

"Yeah…he's a beast on the field too. Wants to be in the national team later. At the rate he's going, I wouldn't be surprised if he made it by the time he's twenty three."

Shiki's eyes widened. "That young?" she asked, amazed. Mr. H nodded.

"Like I said, he's a beast on the field."

XXX

He certainly was.

She didn't even need to watch him on the field to see it.

She had been taking a walk when she had noticed Neku and Beat tossing around a soccer ball. Shiki had begun to wave but stopped mid-way through as she watched Neku juggle a ball from knee to knee, before gracefully kicking it over Beat's head into a near by trash can.

"Watchu do that for!?" Beat had yelled. Neku just shrugged before saying, in a loud enough voice so that Shiki could hear,

"One to zero."

XXX

It was raining outside when it happened.

He had offered to share his umbrella with her and walk her home and she, having no umbrella and not wanting to walk through the rain, had heartily accepted.

Their walk was mostly silent, almost awkward even, yet Shiki felt inexplicably glad for some reason.

She soon found out why.

"Careful!" Neku yelled suddenly. Pulling her towards him, he tried, in vain, to shield Shiki from an on coming splash of a car. The car ran through a puddle and, in a split second, showered the two, soaking them from head to toe.

"Geez!" Shiki had yelled annoyed. "What a pain in the-!"

It was only a moment later that she realized the position she was in and how close she was to Neku. She blushed and tried to pull back.

"Don't."

His words surprised her and she had looked up. In the next moment his lips were on hers. Her eyes widened.

It lasted only a second though. Neku pulled back quickly, his face redder than she had ever seen.

"S-sorry." He muttered, bending down to pick up the umbrella he had dropped.

Shiki though, grabbed him by his collar and kissed him again.

XXX

"You liked me since the beginning?"

Sheepishly, Neku nodded. She could only gape at him.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" She asked, her voice rising. Neku just gave her a shy look.

"What was I supposed to say?" he said. "Was I supposed to say that I suffered from the 'liked you since the beginning' syndrome or something?"

"Well…maybe not exactly like that." Shiki said. "But you could've…. flirted or something!"

Neku just tugged at on his spikes and looked the other way.

"I'm…. not good at that kind of thing." He muttered.

XXX

She had fallen for him when he gave her that first cup of coffee.

She didn't realize it until later though.

She only realized it when he had been teaching her how to make the foam cat.

His arms had been around her and his hands were placed over hers, teaching her what to do,

And his face was close to hers. Very close.

XXX

"Am I your first?" she asked one day. He looked up, confused.

"First what?" he asked.

"First….y'know."

"First kiss?" Neku asked. "First girlfriend?"

She nodded.

Neku looked at her before turning his gaze away and becoming very interested in the ground.

"Y-yeah." He said, his face bright red. "You're my first."

XXX

Their first date wasn't perfect.

Her nervousness and his nervousness seemed to combine and form a massive awkward tension between the two.

After walking around Shibuya, they had finally stopped at a park bench to rest.

"I'll be right back." Neku had said, suddenly taking off. Five minutes later he came back, out of breath, with a box in one hand and a receipt in the other.

"Catch." He said, tossing the box to Shiki.

She clumsily caught it, confused. "Band-Aids?" she asked.

He only looked down at her heels and nodded. "Those shoes look painful." Was all he said.

She smiled, feeling her nervousness melt away.

"Thank you Neku." She said.

"W-whatever."

XXX

His friends would tease him.

They'd crack jokes and nudge the barista, causing his ears to turn red and snappish personality to come out.

The worst offender (in Neku's point of view) was Joshua though. Then again, the boy did seem to have a knack for driving Neku crazy.

"Aw, Neku has a girlfriend."

"Shut up."

Shiki never questioned their….relationship, but from the bits and pieces she picked up, she learned that, despite Neku's coldness and Joshua's…..Joshua-ness, the two were on neutral terms with each other, almost like "frenemies."

"Never thought you had it in you." Joshua said leaning against the counter. His airy laugh only seemed to intensify the glare in Neku's eyes.

"Get out." Was all the barista said.

Joshua only shrugged. When he turned to leave though, he whispered to Shiki in passing,

"Treat him well."

XXX

The summer ended too quickly for her.

Her suitcase packed, her plane ticket in her hands, she was ready to go back to the states, back to school,

Back to her own reality.

Summer in Shibuya almost felt like a dream. Yet like all dreams, it had to end.

She looked at Neku. Neku looked at her.

Her eyes began filling up with tears. He noticed.

Her arms outstretched, she smiled at him the best she could.

He embraced her, cradled her in his arms, and whispered to her,

"I think I love you."

XXX

The next time she saw him was a shock.

She had been walking towards her dorm room, a scarf pulled tightly around her neck and her hair brushed back from the winter wind, when she saw him.

There, he was just standing there.

Naturally, she ran towards him her face breaking into a grin.

"Neku!" she screamed happily, flying into his arms. He replied with a smile.

"Shiki." He whispered. Then, looking into her eyes, he said,

"I missed you."

**XXX**

**Happy late birthday Di! I am so so so sorry this is late and overdue! I am also sorry I took some inspirations from your story! I got the main inspiration from the author notes in "Stitched Graffiti" that said the fic was kinda like a coffee shop. The stuff about Neku and soccer well….you know where that's from.**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Even though its been like two months!) DI!**

**(On a side note, does any one watch Tenkai Knights? If you do, doesn't Gen look ****_exactly_**** like Neku? I mean come on, he's got the hair, the collar, and the emo like personality! When I first saw him I was like, "Neku why are you on Cartoon Network!?")**

Omake

"What do you want?"

Oops, he didn't mean to say it that harsh. The girl only looked at him, surprised.

Panic began echoing through his head. Maybe he should apologize?

No, too late for that, she was already turning away.

Well…. he'd try again tomorrow.


End file.
